John Ashbery Poetry Reading (from The Key West Literary Seminar, 2003)

John Ashbery reads from Chinese Whispers (2002), his twenty-fourth book of poems. Along the way, he discusses the poems’ references to Erik Satie, Marcel Duchamp, Arthur Rimbaud, and other titans of French music, art, and literature.

00:00 Introduction
1:02 Nice Presentation
3:20 Disagreeable Glimpses
9:10 Theme Park Days
11:05 Why Not Sneeze?
12:10 View of Delft
13:24 The Lightning Conductor
15:50 I Asked Mr. Dithers Whether It Was Time Yet He Said No to Wait
17:05 Local Legend
19:50 Runway
21:30 The Business of Falling Asleep (2)

From KWLS 2003: The Beautiful Changes

This recording is available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights belong to the author. © 2003 John Ashbery.